One of the Best Gifts You Can Give Your Family This Holiday
The best gift you can give your family this holiday is unplugging.
Turn off the devices. Connect with each other.
The holidays are stressful.
Now, add in being constantly plugged in via electronic devices (or smartphones).
It can be too much.
According to the American Psychological Association, “U.S. adults are feeling joyous but overwhelmed this holiday season, as nearly nine in 10 (89%) say that concerns such as not having enough money, missing loved ones and anticipating family conflict cause them stress at this time of year. […] 43% said that the stress of the holidays interferes with their ability to enjoy them and 36% said the holidays feel like a competition.”¹
Studies have shown a significant positive correlation between cell phones and stress, anxiety, and depression.²
At a season when we are already feeling stressed, don’t make it worse by staying on your phone too much.
We know it is countercultural to unplug, but it truly may be the best gift you can give your family.
Read on for 10 ways to unplug this holiday season.
#1 Put Devices Away
Let’s start simple. Put your phones away.
Designate certain places as phone-free or tech-free zones.
For example, remove the phone from your nightstand so the first thing you do in the morning is fill the stockings, not read the news.
Don’t let anyone bring a phone to the dinner table.
Ask everyone to put their phones away while you are spending time as a family.
Pro Tip – If you don’t want teens to riot, let them know about this plan beforehand!
#2 Schedule Tech-Free Time
Encourage your loved ones to give their eyes (and minds) a tech break.
One of the best gifts you can give your family is a couple of hours of unplugging.
Schedule time that will be tech-free in advance, such as the hours before bed or mid-afternoon.
#3 Plan Non-Electronic Activities
To make your scheduled tech-free time go smoothly, plan some activities that don’t need to be plugged in.
Fortunately, there are many ways to unplug at Christmas and have fun.
Here are a few ideas:
- Bake Christmas cookies.
- Decorate a gingerbread house.
- Make Christmas ornaments or other crafts.
- Go caroling.
- Look at Christmas lights.
- Get outdoors.
- Play board games or cards.
- Do a puzzle.
- Read a book.
- Clean out old toys and donate them.
- Look through family photo albums.
[Related Read: At-Home Christmas Activities for the Whole Family]
#4 Stop Capturing for Social and Stay Present
It’s tempting to record or capture every moment of the holidays.
But always looking through a device and then editing it to look perfect actually removes you from the moment.
Take a picture or two, but try to keep your phone tucked away most of the time.
When tempted to hit record, focus on the moment in front of you and snap a mental picture.
Think of it this way: Do you want your kids to remember you playing and laughing with them or posing them for the perfect picture?
#5 Ask Yourself If It Brings Joy or Stress
One of the reasons Christmas winds up being so stressful is because we try to do too much.
Much of this comes from what we are comparing ourselves to online.
If you see a fun idea on Pinterest or Instagram, ask yourself, “Will this bring me joy or stress in the long run?”
For example, some people love cooking elaborate Christmas dinners. It brings them joy.
But, for others, it is too stressful.
Be honest with yourself about how you want to feel Christmas day – and say no to anything that doesn’t bring you joy.
#6 Set a Time Limit on Scrolling
It can be fun to scroll through social media during the holidays to see how friends and family celebrate.
But it is easy to lose track of time.
Instead of spending Christmas endlessly scrolling on social media, set a time limit.
Most of the social media apps include time limit features. If not, you can install time-limiting apps on your devices that shut down certain apps (such as Facebook or Roblox) once you have used them X amount of time.
#7 Sit and Talk
The reason unplugging at Christmas is one of the best gifts you can give your family is because it gives you quality time to spend together.
Instead of looking at devices, you can look at each other.
Christmas is the perfect time to catch up, ask questions, and enjoy one another’s company.
#8 Set Up an Away Message
For those of you who feel as if you are always on call for work, unplug from the office around the holiday.
Set up an away message for your coworkers or clients that tells them you are taking the day off but will be happy to assist when you are back at work.
#9 Get Outside
One of the best ways to unplug is to get outside.
Gather the family, bundle up, and go explore the outdoors. Leave the phones behind and take a walk.
#10 Enjoy Your Gifts
There is a real possibility that there are gifts under your Christmas tree that don’t involve screens.
Encourage kids to play with their new toys instead of turning on the TV. Take advantage of your time off work to try out your new golf clubs.
Now is the perfect time to unplug and enjoy your gifts.
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SOURCES
- https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/11/holiday-season-stress
- https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-022-04419-8
